Under a pilot project approved by the membership in February 2026, the Ways and Means Fund allocation for 2025–2026 is divided equally into two sub-funds.

Applicants to both funds are required to demonstrate their financial need by submitting detailed budgetary information (income and expenses) and supporting documentation.

Members may submit more than one application per per Collective Agreement year (i.e., September 1–August 31), but the yearly per-member maximum of $2000 applies to all grants from either or both sub-funds. No member will normally receive more than $2000 per year (September 1 – August 31), subject to the Ways and Means Committee's discretion under Bylaws Appendix C. 

1. Emergencies Fund

The Emergencies Fund requires applicants to demonstrate an acute financial need or hardship caused by a recent (within the previous 12 months) emergency or other significant adverse event. It provides grants to cover eligible emergency-related expenses on a reimbursement basis only. 

Applicants must document the emergency, all expenses incurred as a result of it, and their inability to afford the expenses on their current (household) income. Applications must include supporting documentation (including receipts for all claimed expenses) to verify the financial information submitted.

The Emergencies Fund has no set deadline; members can apply at any time. The Ways and Means Committee adjudicates applications for the Emergencies Fund at its twice-monthly meetings, awarding up to the yearly maximum of $2000 for approved applications.

2. Hardship Fund

The Hardship Fund requires applicants to demonstrate acute or ongoing financial need or hardship unrelated to emergency circumstances.

To be eligible, members must demonstrate a general need for financial assistance based on their income and expenses. Although the Hardship Fund doesn’t reimburse members for specific, receipted expenses, applicants must include supporting documentation to verify the financial information submitted, especially any significant expenses and debts. 

The Ways and Means Committee will adjudicate Hardship Fund applications once per term/semester. The total amount available per term (approximately $75,000 for winter and summer 2026) will be divided equally among approved applicants up to the maximum yearly limit of $2000. 

Hardship Fund Application Deadlines

Winter term: March 31, 2026
Summer Term: July 31, 2026

Note: Additional application information and instructions can be found on the next page of this form and/or on the Ways and Means Fund webpage.

Description

The Emergencies Fund is available to members of all bargaining units who have experienced a recent financial stress or hardship related to an unexpected event or emergency. Examples include, but should not be viewed as limited to, a death in the family, unforeseen illness of the member or their dependants, theft and/or legal costs, or other emergency circumstances. (Recent is defined as occurring within twelve months prior to the application submission date.)

The Emergencies Fund covers eligible expenses on a reimbursement basis only. You must apply after the emergency financial burden has occurred. Any applications submitted for anticipated expenses will be rejected. Documentation, including receipts for all claimed expenses, must be provided.

The Emergencies Fund does not cover regularly occurring, anticipated expenses such as rent, phone or internet, childcare, and the like, though the overall financial situation of applicants (including income and regular expenses) will be considered in assessing the impact of their unexpected or emergency expenses.

Application Requirements

Applications to the Emergencies Fund require you to provide: 

1. A detailed explanation (approximately 1 page) of the event/incident/circumstance that resulted in the applicant’s financial hardship 
2. A detailed budget, including all sources of personal and family income and expenses
3. Supporting documentation, including receipts for verifying all expense claimed.
4. Proof of membership, i.e., a contract from the current funding year or the five months preceding it. (Proof of membership is optional, but submitting it may speed up processing of your application.)

Supporting Documentation

Applicants must document, to the fullest extent possible, their financial hardship and its unexpected or emergency nature.

All documentation about the unexpected financial hardship must be attached to the application. Receipts are required for all expenses. Receipts should be either PDFs of electronic receipts or clear scans of physical receipts.

Vital documentation could include any or all of the following:

• Original receipts for items or services purchased (e.g., flight documents, including boarding passes, funeral home bills)
• Proof of payment documents (e.g. bills)
• Incident report numbers (e.g. police repot numbers)
• Insurance claims
• Death certificates or published funeral notices 

Expenses Not Covered

The following expenses are not covered by the fund. Do not include them in the amount claimed:

• Regular Rent or mortgage payments
• Moving or rental fees (unless you can provide proof that you needed to move for an unexpected reason)
• Internet or cellphone bills
• Tuition and other student fees (international or domestic)
• Landed immigrantion costs
• Student visa costs
• Permanent residency costs
• OSAP or any financial loan repayment
• Laptop or computer replacement (exception: assistive technology and other computer-based disability accommodations; Unit 2 members may use their Professional Expense Reimbursement allowance)
• Personal medical expenses (apply for CUPE Extended Health Benefits)
• Conference costs such as fees, travel, accommodation, or meals (apply for the Professional Development Fund or, for Unit 2 and 4 members, the Conference Travel Fund)
• Fieldwork costs such as travel, accommodation, or food (Apply for Fieldwork Cost Fund and Graduate Development Fund)
• Expenses incurred by non–CUPE 3903 members (e.g., dependents)

Adjudication & Response Times

The Emergencies Fund has no deadline.

Recognizing that applicants to this fund are experiencing acute financial distress related to an unexpected emergency, the W&M Committee normally meets to adjudicate applications every two weeks.

Note that submitting incomplete or insufficient documentation will result in the Committee either rejecting your application outright or placing it on hold pending the submission of further information, which will delay processing your application.

Committee Decisions

Upon review, the Committee will approve or deny each application based on the grounds for the application, the eligibility of the expenses claimed, the supporting documents submitted to substantiate the expense claims, an assessment of the applicant's overall financial need, and the amount remaining in the fund in a given year.

Incomplete, unclear, or insufficiently documented claims will be placed on Hold, and applicants will receive an email with a link to their application asking them to update it. This will effectively restart the adjudication process, delaying completion.

Applicants will be notified of by an email sent via Jotform indicating the decision and reason for it. Funds will generally be disbursed within four weeks of an approval.

Description

The Hardship Fund is available to members experiencing an acute or ongoing financial hardship unrelated to an emergency or unexpected occurrence.

The Harship Fund requires applicant only to demonstrate that they are in financial need or distress, regardless of the cause. Unlike the Emergencies Fund, it doesn’t reimburse specific expenses; instead, it provides grants to people in acute or chronic financial distress.

Applicants must include supporting documentation to verify the financial information submitted, especially any significant expenses and debts. You can provide receipts for major expenses as part of your financial documentation, but the fund doesn’t directly reimburse members for specific expenses.

The total allocated to the Hardship Fund for 2025–2026 (approximately $150,000) will be divided equally between the Winter and Summer terms. Approved applicants will receive an equal share of the funds available, up to the yearly individual maximum for the Ways and Means Fund ($2000). Members may apply once in each funding period but cannot receive more than the yearly maximum allowance. 

Application Requirements

Applications to the Hardship Fund require you to provide: 

1. A detailed explanation (approximately 1 page) of the financial hardship you are experiencing and any special circumstances contributing to it.
2. A detailed budget, including all sources of personal and family income and expenses
3. Supporting documentation that verifies the budget you’ve submitted, especially any outstanding or significant expenses contributing to your financial need.
4. Proof of membership, i.e., a contract from the current funding year or the five months preceding it. (Proof of membership is optional, but submitting it may speed up processing of your application.)

Supporting Documentation

Applicants must document, to the fullest extent possible, their financial hardship. All documentation about your financial hardship must be attached to the application (preferably PDFs).

Note that submitting incomplete or insufficient documentation may result in the Committee either rejecting your application outright or placing it on hold pending the submission of further information, which will delay processing your application.

Vital documentation could include any or all of the following (this is not an exhaustive list):

• Income Tax assessments (with SIN redacted)
• Regular Rent or mortgage payments
• Moving expenses
• Internet or cellphone bills
• Copies of your student account
• Receipts for expenses related to international student status (visas, immigration or residency fees)
• OSAP or any other loans 
• Professional expenses (conference fees, fieldwork costs, etc.) not eligible for or exceeding funds awarded from other union funds like the Professional Development Fund, Conference Travel Fund, Tuition Costs Fund, Fieldwork Costs Fund, and Graduate Development Fund) 

Adjudication & Response Times

The Ways and Means Committee will adjudicate Hardship Fund applications once per term/semester, normally adjudicated within a month of each deadline.  The total amount available per term (approximately $75,000 for winter and summer 2026) will be divided equally among approved applicants up to the maximum yearly limit of $2000. Applicants are limited to one Hardship Fund application per term.

The Committee will approve or deny each application based on the grounds for the application, the supporting documents submitted to substantiate the expense claims, an assessment of the applicant's overall financial need, and the amount remaining in the fund in a given year.

Incomplete, unclear, or insufficiently documented claims will be place on Hold, and applicants will receive an email with a link to their application asking them to update it. This will effectively restart the adjudication process, delaying completion.

Applicants will be notified of by an email sent via Jotform indicating the decision and reason for it. Funds will generally be disbursed within four weeks of an approval.

Notice

All information you've provided on this form is strictly confidential. Decisions are made by an elected committee of CUPE Local 3903 members.

Once the Committee has adjudicated, members will be informed of the result of the by email. Should the Committee require additional information, the Committee will place your application on Hold and you will receive an email asking you to provide additional information. Since this will delay the adjudication of the file, please ensure you've provided all the necessary information and documentation.

After signing, please press the Review button to review your application before submission. You will receive an automated email from the Committee (via Jotform) confirming receipt.

Certificate

I certify that all information presented herein is accurate to the best of my knowledge and acknowledge that submitting false or fraudulent information may result in a denial of my application and/or suspension of my right to apply to the fund.